Terrarium

What an amazing episode. If only real life reflected this idea of enemies been able to find common ground and learn from one another. Melissa fully carried this episode. She owned it! This episode reminds me of why Star Trek. SNW is becoming my favorite of all Trek and this episode delivers in more ways than expected.

The creative forces behind Strang New Worlds they are masters in "borrowing" stories.

They steal plots from other movies & other series (sci-fi or not), other Star Trek series and mainly TOS.

This shows how much weak they are, either in their writing skills or the risks they could take to write something new or at least more original. But then, they would not had made a prequel.

And now they are ready to click on the Big Reset Button (worse part of the episode).

In any case, this wasn't such a bad episode, and even if it was narrating an unoriginal story it could have been much much better.

It is very annoying how they have Ortegas talk, constantly expressing her thoughts using 20-21th century expressions.

But even more annoying is the inconsistency in Enterprise's officers behavior. When their loved ones are in danger they have no problem put ship and crew in peril. But poor Ortegas...

Lt. Erica Ortegas finally gets the spotlight she deserves, and the result is nothing short of exceptional. Melissa Navia brings her to life with striking humanity, humor, and pathos. The script and direction stand among the finest that Star Trek has offered in years, delivering both tension and heart. By the closing moments, I found myself unexpectedly moved. It has left a far deeper impact than I anticipated. This is top-tier Star Trek.

Finally, an actual Star Trek episode on this series that calls itself Star Trek. This is, one might say, basic, certainly for the standards of this gimmick-obsessed series. But in this simplicity lies its strength because we get very solid character development for an underutilized crewmember, Ortegas, as well as many good moments for Uhura too.

Sure, the Enemy Mine plot is a bit tired - and the story certainly didn't need the TOS fan service twist at the end, the worst part of this otherwise excellent episode, but aside from the stunning visuals and sense of danger, the relationship between the characters is very moving, so much so that I may now harbor resentment against La'An, who of course didn't have the eduction in cooperation, trust and overcoming prejudice that Erica - and we - just had. This is the Star Trek ethos, and I'm glad that it can still be seen on this show occasionally.

More of this please and less of the comedy!

A return to form after a few uneven episodes this season. It's clear the writers are drawing inspiration from earlier seasons to recapture those classic Trek vibes, sometimes it really works.

Some Trek staples I noticed:

Unbelievable Starfleet competency: Ortegas pulls off incredible feats of engineering mometimes literally building life saving devices in a cave with a box of scraps. Starfleet officers are supposed to be the absolute best of the best and the show doesn't always highlight this, so newer viewers might find it far fetched. But of course Ortegas can engineer amazing solutions, she's Starfleet.

Wild sci-fi mysteries: We've got a seemingly unexplained wormhole, an impossible planetary system, physics and biology laws being broken left and right... with an explanation for it all by the end.

Moral dilemmas everywhere: Nearly every scene brings ethical questions, and through them we get more insight into Spock, Una, Uhura, and Pike. I liked seeing a new side to Una, she's the source of conflict rather than the usual mediator. Strong character moments all around.

Visual spectacle: Some episodes this season have felt smaller, mostly on ship with even the view screen not having anything to show. This episode changed that with some beautiful, cinematic shots. Maybe they've been saving the budget for something big in episode 10? I hope so.

If I have one complaint, it's that Batel's storyline didn't progress at all. Given the setting, there was room for at least a quick call to Pike so we could see her reaction to the situation-and how her changed circumstances affect her perspective now.

Overall, a solid episode with classic Trek energy throughout.